


Horizon Line

by Arsoemon



Series: Daybreakers Month [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Daybreakers Month, Gen, Pre-Canon, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsoemon/pseuds/Arsoemon
Summary: Daybreakers Week 1: Origins
Series: Daybreakers Month [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654576
Kudos: 8





	Horizon Line

Madarame-sensei specialized in figure painting, therefore, Yusuke specialized in figure painting for a time, and that was just fine. The _Sayuri_ is his whole reason for painting. To create something even remotely as beautiful will call for mastery of the basics. So he practices constantly. Everywhere he goes, there’s a sketchbook in his hand. He seems to fill at least one each month, and Sensei couldn’t be happier.

Of course he couldn’t. The more Yusuke draws, the more the old man can claim as his own. Not too long ago, Yusuke had completed a piece he was particularly proud of and couldn’t wait to show his mentor.

“Well done, Yusuke! Your use of color theory is spectacular as ever. However...” there it was. That word, that particular turn in the conversation that had been happening more and more lately. It’s not the criticism; Yusuke can take suggestions into consideration when making decisions going forward. He knows it helps him grow. It’s the man marking his actual work, erasing, painting over, practically destroying his actual completed piece that made him dread sharing his art after a while.

The man hadn’t created his own work in years, and yet he was still being hailed as one of Japan’s most prolific artists. As he grew, Yusuke would notice the other students’s artworks on display at an exhibition or being bought by some corporation or affluent citizen, but it wasn’t until Nakanohara-senpai first complained that Yusuke realized those students weren’t getting the credit for their works.

He tried asking his mentor about it, and that’s when he found out the man was in what he called a slump. By the end of the conversation, he had somehow convinced Yusuke to offer his own work to him. It’s hard to deny the mixed feelings his present situation causes. It feels wrong and, frankly, unfair. But as Madarame-sensei is quick to remind him, it’s not cheap to support a ward, much less one with such an expensive talent. The cost of being raised by the brilliant mind behind the most beautiful painting he’s ever seen is his artwork. This “justification” does little to settle the burning in his stomach or the unrest he feels when hearing patrons discuss his works under Madarame’s name, but it does work as a temporary door he can keep shut long enough to get the next work done.

He shakes these thoughts away, the work in progress for the next exhibition coming back into focus. He checks the time and frowns. With a sigh, he begins straightening up for the morning before dressing for school. He was hoping to finish this by the end of the night, and depending on how much homework they give, he still may.

They left two minutes too late and are now stuck at that one slow light near the station. Yusuke gazes out the window, watching the pedestrians ambling all around. A mother and her smiling young son here, a hoard of men in suits with their brief cases and defeated spines there. Yusuke presses his face against the window and watches a group of students move toward the station stairs. He throws the door open and dashes after them, vaguely aware of his sensei shouting about safety. The fact that traffic is slowly starting to move is inconsequential. This is the inspiration he’s been missing. The crowd is a bit of an inconvenience, but nothing—not even train fare—will stop him from getting her name.

**Author's Note:**

> Except these two gentlemen standing in front of her. How will unforeseen boy respond?


End file.
